From returning characters to unexpected status quo changes to the tease of a huge character death, these are the biggest surprises of the Marvel Legacy reveal.

No Fantastic Four?

Marvel's lineup has been without a dedicated Fantastic Four comic since Secret Wars started over two years ago. Whether the culprit is low sales or Marvel's ongoing feud with Fox (or some combination of the two), the fact remains that it's been far too long since the FF have been at the forefront of their comic book universe.

Many were hoping that the big return in Marvel Legacy #1 would involve Reed Richards and Susan Storm emerging from multiverse limbo and getting the old gang back together. What better way to honor the legacy of the Marvel Universe than reuniting Marvel's First Family and relaunching the series that basically started it all? Sadly, it's not looking like that will be the case. Several series included in the relaunch are boasting FF-inspired cover homages, but an actual FF comic doesn't appear to be in the cards.

The silver lining here is that Marvel will be shining a light on the two remaining FF members. The company is dusting off the classic team-up series Marvel Two-in-One, which will apparently now chronicle the parallel adventures of Benjamin Grimm and Johnny Storm. It's a start.

Punisher's Big Upgrade

The challenge with a character like the Punisher is keeping him fresh and interesting year after year. How many stories can you really tell about a grim, close-mouthed vigilante killer before the formula grows stale? That's led various writers to push Frank Castle in some pretty weird directions over the years, including making him a literal spirit of vengeance and morphing him into the undead monstrosity known as Frankencastle.

Judging from the Marvel Legacy Punisher cover, it seems Frank's latest weird transformation involves him taking up the mantle of War Machine. We doubt James Rhodes would approve, but he's not really in a position to argue given that he was killed by Thanos early on in Civil War II.

Frank donning the War Machine armor will no doubt elevate his war on crime to a whole new level. We're curious to see what villains he'll be contending with now that he's been given such a massive upgrade. Perhaps more importantly, we'd like to see how characters like Iron Man and Captain Marvel will react to seeing their late friend's legacy being co-opted. Think of it as a sequel to the Punisher: War Journal storyline where Frank briefly took up the mantle of Captain America following Steve Rogers' assassination.

Back to Planet Hulk

It's hard to tell from Marvel's various Legacy teaser images whether Bruce Banner is returning to life for this relaunch. But either way, it does appear that Amadeus Cho will continue his tenure as a Hulk and will be starring in the relaunched Incredible Hulk series. What's more, apparently Amadeus will be starring in a sequel to 2006's Planet Hulk storyline.

It certainly makes sense for Marvel to revisit Planet Hulk this fall given how much the Thor: Ragnarok movie is drawing from that story. And assuming writer Greg Pak is sticking around for the new Incredible Hulk, we're eager to see him revisit one of his most popular and influential Marvel stories.

It'll be interesting to see how differently the Gladiator-inspired conflict plays out with this Hulk as the protagonist. The old Hulk went through a pretty significant transformation over the course of that story, growing stronger and more cunning, falling in love and eventually becoming emperor to an entire planet. And, of course, it all came crashing down when that kingdom was destroyed and Hulk returned to Earth seeking revenge. Will the new Planet Hulk have a similar impact on the franchise 11 years later?